Sunday, February 04, 2007

"The Skinless Calf Will Cost Extra, Sir"


It rained yesterday in Cairo. And not just rain, but HAIL! Pounding down on cars. So I took refuge in Costa Coffee. That's an international coffee chain, like Starbucks. Kind of like Starbucks, but with better coffee. And their wi-fi is free.

I was furiously typing out emails to Egyptian real estate agents. "I am looking for a place with internet, a Nile view, and a kitchen that is not digusting." Since marveling at the quality of the kitchens, I had read that the reason so many kitchens were tiny and gross was that only servants used to use the kitchens. There were invariably grand reception areas, Italian marble floors, and nasty kitchens. I'd sooner a peel-and-stick vinyl floor and a decent place to cook food, but maybe I'm just bringing my values along for the ride into a different culture.

The two girls next to me--two Californians studying Arabic at the American University of Cairo--started giggling. I looked up.

A man outside was hauling animal carcasses out of a taxi. Just carcasses. No plastic, no storage device. He threw them all into a shopping cart and wheeled them into the back of the supermarket.

I started giggling too. I could only imagine what it would be like to drive a taxi in Cairo.

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